Digital material passports - Transparent wood

This is part of the 'Unlocking sustainable designs through digital material passports' exhibited at The Summit — BE-ST Fest '23.

Transparent wood is an eco-friendly alternative for use in engineering applications, such as transparent panels. It can be used for energy-saving purposes like heat-storage, thermal insulation and controlled use of natural light.

Transparent wood is an aesthetic material with many applications in interior design. It was introduced in 2016, when scientists identified methods for removing light-absorbing lignin and replacing it with a resin material. Unfortunately, the process required the use of environmentally harmful chemicals, which also
weakened the wood.

Researchers have now successfully tested an eco-friendly alternative made using citrus waste (such as peel) produced by the orange juice industry. The material is made with no solvents and all chemicals are derived from bio-based raw materials.

DIGITAL MATERIAL PASSPORT

Product Name: Transparent Wood

Product Site: Citrus derivative makes transparent wood 100 percent renewable | KTH

Supplier: KTH

Material Origin

• Raw Material Sourced:
  Sweden
• Manufacture Site:
  Stockholm, Sweden
• Biogenic Content (i.e. natural material content/sequestered carbon info):
  100%
• Reused Content:
  None

Embodied Carbon

• Embodied Carbon Value:
  Product EPD not available

Circularity, to cover aspects like:

• Product reuse citrus waste (such as peel) produced by the orange juice industry.

Health & Wellbeing

• None declared

Certifications

• None available

Information not available at this stage of product manufacturing

What is a digital material passport?

A material passport is a digital document listing all the materials that are included in a product or construction during its life cycle in order to facilitate circularity decisions in supply chain management at the end of the building life.

At Cundall, we want to create a passport for materials and products that will also provide information before its use, so designers and contractors have a better understanding of the materials and their impact on the embodied carbon and health well-being of a project, facilitating the inclusion of the best low carbon and healthy materials that align with their design.